Chaverim y'karim - dear friends,

Given that parashat Vayikra begins this week, which is the beginning of the Book of Leviticus, then Pesach can't be far away - which it is not! First a few announcements ...

Lunch & Learn on Wednesday this week

This week, on Wednesday, I'll be doing a little "Pesach Prep" by way of examining artwork from the Moss Haggadah as well as ideas and elements of Passover to help us both observe the holiday and derive meaning from its rituals. Specifically, we'll be looking at the origins of The Four Questions. Is that where Jews start our history of asking questions (or at least answering a question with a question?)?

Friday afternoon for the Kids ~ Saturday afternoon for the gantze mishpucheh (whole family)

On Friday, if you know anyone in the 5-10yr old range, invite them to join our "Kids Moadon" (Kids Club) for a "Taste of Passover" with Sandy Singco. We've had monthly gatherings that have been a lot of fun with music, story, food, and craft. This is open for members and non-members.

And if you have not signed up for the Paint-a-Seder-Plate - please do so by Thursday! We are almost at critical mass (8) - help push us over the top! All ages welcome!

And now for a vort ... a word ... of Torah

Let's not leave the Book of Exodus quite so quickly ...

In her weekly column on the Torah portion, Dr. Mijal Bitton shared an insight this past week on parashat Pekudei that bears repeating.

On October 6, 2023, Israel was divided on matters related to the judicial reform and a recent fight between religious and secular in Tel Aviv on Yom Kippur. On October 7, 2023, Israel was attacked by a genocidal terrorist group who would have murdered the entire nation if given the opportunity. Though far from representing all Palestinians, it was the enemy embodied by Hamas which Israel had to battle and has fought these last eighteen months.

While the external threats remain real, a deeply dangerous enemy faces Israel - the people and the land - from within when we demonize and cast aside those with whom we disagree. We betray the well-being of our people when we reject those who are different than us. And it is tempting to do. Trust me, I struggle with this mightily. But there are families and individuals in Israel who have lost their homes, their livelihoods, their lives, their loved ones - and to reject the other only does further damage.

In her teaching last week, Mijal Bitton brilliantly learns from the message inscribed on a head-piece worn by the High Priest. The band upon his forehead read: "Holy unto God ~ Kodesh L'Adonai ~ קודש לשם".

Such a statement is neither a political one nor an exclusionary one. In other words, it was a reminder to the Israelites and to the High Priest ... the work of ritual and of LIVING is holy work, dedicated unto God and thus how we behave with one another must be no less.

At a time when it is so remarkably easy to cast others aside, choosing clean binaries about good/bad, right/wrong, dangerous/safe, the High Priest and the dedication of the Tabernacle as we saw in last week's parasha is a reminder to us how we can work through these days when divisions deepen. The truth is - the more I look and listen, the more I find, there are a TON of people who want to dwell in the grey, in the in-between, in the lands of compromise and consolation.

Mijal quotes two stories at the end of her column - well worth your reading to the end for! It's a powerful moment of a woman whose son was killed in the fighting in Gaza. She has a message of "Our story will have a happy ending."

Now that is a vort (word) of Torah worth returning to, holding onto, and working to make sure it actually happens. Happy endings are not easily arrived at - nor a guarantee of smoothness and perfection. But we can find satisfaction and please God, some measure of wholeness.

And it, literally, is upon us in our individual decisions, relationships, and attitudes to contribute positively toward a society that is more about building up and not tearing down. I have a few websites below that are working for that very wholeness.

As the rabbis teach, "Mipnei darkhei shalom - מפני דרכי שלום - for the sake of peace." Ken y'hi ratzon - may it be God's will and may we make it our own.

Rabbi Mark Cohn

rabbicohn@tsholom.org

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Who's bringing people together?

For America:

Bill of Rights Institute

Braver Angels

For Israel:

Center for Shared Society (Shalom Hartman Institute)

Realign for Palestine (Atlantic Council)

Arava Institute for Environmental Studies

Hand-in-Hand Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel

Pictured above: The Four Questions of the Haggadah, presented in The David Moss Haggadah.

Remember to vote in the American Zionist Movement's Election as part of the World Zionist Congress. The Union for Reform Judaism and

the American Reform Zionist Association (ARZA) encourage you to vote for the REFORM PLATFORM. Vote for whomever you wish - just VOTE!!